The GALAPAGOS ISLANDS: One of the main destinations in the world for observing natural life

Publié le par paintdigi
Sea lions resting on La Loberia beach, in Floreana Island

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The GALAPAGOS ISLANDS

Bartolomé Island, Galápagos ( Image source: flickr / Paul Krawczuk )

The Galapagos Islands are an archipelago of Ecuador, located in the Pacific Ocean, at the latitude of the equator, 1000 km west of the Ecuadorian coast.
The archipelago consists of around forty volcanic islands, which host the Galapagos National Park and the Galapagos Marine Reserve which constitute a Unesco World Heritage site.

Galapagos Marine Iguana ( Image source: en.wikipedia / Datune )

The archipelago is made up of 127 elements (19 islands and 29 uninhabited islets, the rest are rocks), but the entire local population is concentrated on 4 islands: Santa Cruz, San Cristóbal, Isabela and Floreana.
All the islands are mountainous, with craters at the peaks, the result of their volcanic formation. the highest point of the archipelago is the summit of the Wolf volcano on Isabela Island (1,707 m).
The Galapagos archipelago offers a dry tropical climate without excessive heat (Temperatures between 19 ° and 30 °).

The active Wolf volcano on Isabela Island ( Image source: hablemosdevolcanes.com )
The slopes of the Sierra Negra volcano are first hazy, then crystal clear, as tourists walk through boulders of lava following eruptions in the 1970s, 1980s, and 2005. ( Image source: flickr / Michael R Perry )

Wildlife is unique in Galapagos National Park. It is home to 58 species of birds, unique reptile varieties, including giant tortoises or land iguanas and marine iguanas.
There are also over 1,300 different insect species on the Galapagos Islands.
The protected underwater fauna includes nearly 300 species of fish, small mammals and cetaceans.

Galapados Pelican ( Image source: flickr / Andrew Miller )
Galapados giant tortoise ( Image source: bugfox.net )
Galapagos falcons ( Image source: commons.wikimedia / Hjalmar Gislason )
A typical underwater scene, in the waters of the Galapagos Islands. ( Image source: practicalwanderlust.com / Underwater, Galápagos )

Image of title, source: flickr / jdegenhardt

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